Shutdown Ends, Epstein Emails, & Walking Wheelchairs

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Adam Rogers
November 13, 2025

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President Trump signed a bill Wednesday night to end the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in US history. The signing came hours after the House passed the measure 222-209 on a mostly party-line vote.
The compromise funds the government through Jan. 30, reverses Trump administration firings of federal workers, and fully funds SNAP through September. Republicans also promised a vote by mid-December to extend expiring ACA health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee the measure will pass either chamber.
Democrats had refused to pass the bill without extending enhanced ACA tax credits that lower health insurance costs, the major sticking point in the 43-day standoff. Without the extension, premiums will more than double for millions of Americans, and over 2 million could lose coverage next year.

House Democrats released emails Wednesday from Jeffrey Epstein's estate referencing President Trump's knowledge of underage victims. The emails, sent between 2011 and 2019 to journalist Michael Wolff and Ghislaine Maxwell, came from Epstein's estate as part of a congressional investigation. The emails haven’t been independently verified.
In a 2019 email to Wolff, Epstein wrote Trump 'knew about the girls' and 'asked Ghislaine to stop.' Another 2011 email to Maxwell mentioned a victim who 'spent hours' with Trump at Epstein's house. Republicans later released 20,000 additional pages from Epstein's estate, which also reference Trump.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the emails 'selectively leaked' to create a 'fake narrative.' Virginia Giuffre, the victim referenced in the emails who died in April, never accused Trump of wrongdoing. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing to force the release of all Justice Department files related to Epstein.

Venezuela began a nationwide military exercise Tuesday involving some 200,000 troops across land, air, and sea forces after the US deployed the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford and other assets to the Caribbean.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said the drills were a response to recent US anti-drug operations, accusing Washington of “murdering defenseless people” in international waters. Since September, US forces have struck about 20 vessels, killing at least 76 people, as part of a crackdown on drug trafficking.
The escalation has raised alarm across Latin America. Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspended intelligence sharing with the US, calling the strikes illegal. The military buildup may be intended to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. While the US hasn't stated regime change as its goal, President Trump has said Maduro's days are numbered.

A Chicago judge ordered at least 615 ICE detainees released on bond by November 21, ruling Trump's mass arrests violated limits on warrantless detention in Illinois. (More)

JFK's 32-year-old grandson, Jack Schlossberg, officially launched his campaign for New York's 12th congressional seat in 2026. (More) | House Speaker Mike Johnson swore in Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva on Wednesday, seven weeks after her September special election win. (More)

The US Mint struck its last penny on Wednesday after Trump canceled the coin because it costs nearly 4 cents to make each 1-cent piece. (More)

Canada plans to join Eurovision, the massive European song contest, as PM Carney deepens Europe ties and pushes back against Trump's threats to Canadian sovereignty. (More)

Ukraine's justice minister was suspended in a $100 million kickback scandal at its state energy company involving a close Zelenskyy associate. (More)

A newly opened bridge in mountainous Sichuan, China, collapsed Tuesday after cracks appeared. No casualties were reported. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday (S&P +0.06%, Nasdaq -0.26%, Dow +0.68%). The Dow Jones hit another record close, as Wall Street anticipated an end to the government shutdown. (More)

Toyota opened a $13.9 billion battery plant in North Carolina and plans to invest $10 billion more in the US, boosting hybrid production as EV demand slows. (More)

AMD's CEO Lisa Su called Big Tech's $380 billion AI spending spree the right bet despite bubble fears, sending AMD shares soaring 10% Wednesday. (More)

Detroit's Tarik Skubal won his second straight AL Cy Young Award while Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes earned his first NL Cy Young in unanimous voting on Wednesday. (More)

Walk My Walk" by AI act Breaking Rust became the first AI-generated song to hit number one on a Billboard chart. (More)

Toy Story 5's first trailer shows tablets as villains threatening Woody and friends, with a tablet character declaring, "the age of toys is over." It’s slated for release in June 2026. (More)

Raw milk in Pakistan carries antibiotic-resistant bacteria with 95% resisting penicillin; researchers warn these superbugs could spread to humans in a country where most milk goes unpasteurized. (More)

Scientists taught bumblebees to recognize different light flash durations to find sugar, the first proof that their tiny brains can process timing like bigger-brained animals do. (More)

Astronomers found the famous Pleiades star cluster has 20 times more stars than previously known by tracking how fast stars spin to determine their ages. (More)

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